Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27: Residents of Kalahandi district observed a shutdown today demanding the state government to take over Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring.
The students of the medical college have been protesting over the past month demanding proper infrastructure. Medical Council of India has debarred the college from enrolling medical students for the current academic year. The medical college, which started in 2013, has 124 students on its rolls.
The local residents called the bandh, which had the support of a number of associations and lawyers. While shops and markets remained closed, lawyers shunned work.
The impact of the bandh was felt at Bhawanipatna, Junagarh and Dharamgarh towns. Vehicular traffic was affected with the bandh supporters blocking the Hati river bridge near the district headquarters town.
The state government had provided 25 acres of land and the Western Odisha Development Council pitched in with Rs 10 crore to set up the college. The college, which has a 300-bed hospital, is managed by an Andhra Pradesh-based private organisation in public-private partnership.
The 124 students enrolled in the medical college have been seeking intervention of the state government because of the lack of infrastructure and staff. The hospital is lying defunct and the students want the government to shift them to other medical colleges.
A delegation of citizens of Kalahandi had met chief minister Naveen Patnaik on August 25 and requested him to resolve the crisis.
In the Assembly today, members cutting across party lines urged the government to take over the college.
Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra also requested the government to accommodate the students in other government medical colleges.
BJP member K.V. Singh Deo urged the government to ask the Kalahandi collector to invite the agitating students to discuss their problems.
Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the government was intent on resolving the crisis. But, the matter was now pending in the high court. "We have provided all the information sought by the court," he said.
The minister assured that the government would take appropriate action based on the high court's decision in consultation with Medical Council of India.
